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Note: Walking up to a mile over paved and packed dirt terrain; standing up to an hour in museums

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room from 7:00-8:00 AM

Morning: Enjoy literature of the southwest classes from 8:30 AM until 11:00 AM. The southwest literature instructor is very well versed in the authors with whom you should become acquainted. You'll explore examples of writings of many Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo writers, as well as some from other cultures.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel

Afternoon: Class about local history from 12:30 until 1:30 PM. Bus departs at 1:30 PM for a guided exploration of Santa Fe, "The City Different," the Plaza, the New Mexico State Capitol and other selected sites.
You'll drive through a lot of Santa Fe, including the historic downtown area as well as more modern parts of the city.

Part of the exploration will include some walking; the rest will be via bus.

You'll be able to relate some of the art, architecture and history information you studied earlier to what you see in the afternoon.

Day Three: Tuesday, February 26 - Art and Architecture of Northern New Mexico/Poeh ...

Art and Architecture of Northern New Mexico/Poeh Museum/Lunch at Rancho de Chimayo/Village of Chimayo and Santa Clara Pueblo

Note: Walking up to a mile over paved and packed dirt terrain; standing up to an hour in museums

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room from 7:00-8:00 AM

Morning: Enjoy classes from 8:00 until 10:00 AM, with hourly breaks, on art and architecture of northern New Mexico and the area's history. You'll gain an even greater understanding of the history of the area, which will prepare you for the rest of the program week. Knowing the historical perspective will separate you from New Mexico tourists who won't have the background you will gain. Your appreciation for the area and all that makes it special will be enhanced by your new-found knowledge.

Depart at 10:30 for a scenic trip to the Northern New Mexico village of Chimayó, which is much as it has been over the last two hundred years. You'll stop in Pojoaque for a visit to the Poeh Museum on the way to Chimayó.

Lunch: Lunch at Rancho de Chimayo. Rancho de Chimayó has been owned and operated for many years by a family from Chimayó, and is one of the best-known restaurants in the northern New Mexico area.
There are Mexican restaurants all over the United States and also all over New Mexico. We know that all of them are different.
Depending on the area of the state, the influences in the cuisine vary tremendously. There are some dishes prepared in the northern part of the state that many people in the southern part never heard of.
It's fun to discover the different preparation methods and recipes. Rancho de Chimayo is one of the most popular restaurants in the area, located in an old adobe hacienda.
We think it will be a treat for you to visit this lovely dining establishment.

Afternoon: After lunch, you'll visit the Santuario de Chimayó, which has been called the "Lourdes of Northern New Mexico," and is famous for the healing earth found inside. You'll also visit a nearby weaving center. Chimayo has several families who have been known for their beautiful weaving for many, many years. The Hispanic weavings are different from those of Native American origin, and it's interesting to see all of the things that can be made from the beautiful naturally dyed wool that is used. You'll see traditional rugs, but also beautiful vests and jackets, placemats, handbags, and more.

Bus departs at 2:30 PM for Santa Clara Pueblo, where you'll visit with Paul Speckled Rock in his shop.

Santa Clara Pueblo is one of the friendliest pueblos of northern New Mexico, welcoming visitors. The pueblo is famous for its blackware and redware pottery. Mr. Speckled Rock and his wife, Rosalda, offer a talk about how the pottery is made at Santa Clara, and they'll talk about the families who are best known for their pottery.

Note: Walking up to a mile over paved and packed dirt terrain; standing up to an hour in museums

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room from 7:00 AM until 8:00 AM

Morning: From 8:00 until 10:45 AM, you'll have southwest literature classes and art & architecture classes followed by a trip to downtown Santa Fe, where you'll visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum at 11:15 AM. The O'Keeffe Museum is not a large museum, but it is one of the primary destinations for people who visit Santa Fe. Ms. O'Keeffe's paintings, as well as those of some other artists, are featured there. Bus departs at 12:15 for lunch destination.

Lunch: Lunch at the Blue Corn Cafe on Water Street at 12:30

Afternoon: FREE AFTERNOON - Bus departs from downtown for those who would like to return to the hotel, otherwise you'll have plenty of time to explore Santa Fe on your own. If you decide to remain downtown instead of returning to the hotel on our bus, you'll need to arrange for your own transportation back to the hotel.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own tonight. Your group leader can offer suggestions for restaurants near the hotel and in the downtown area.

Day Five: Thursday, February 28 - Art, Architecture and History Classes/Museum of I...

Art, Architecture and History Classes/Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Museum of International Folk Art/Native American Music Presentation

Note: Walking up to a mile over paved and packed dirt terrain; standing up to an hour in museums

Breakfast: Breakfast in the hotel dining room

Morning: Morning classes from 8:30-11:00 AM on art and architecture of Northern New Mexico

Lunch: Lunch in the hotel dining area from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

Afternoon: Class on "Spanish Conquerors to the Contemporary City" from 12:30-1:30 PM. The bus then departs for Museum Hill, where you'll explore Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art.

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is one of the State of New Mexico museums, and features pottery, jewelry, sculpture, baskets, and other objects made by Native Americans from all over the United States. Most of the work is from the Southwest. It's a beautiful museum on Museum Hill, and we think you'll enjoy going there for a self-guided tour. We don't usually utilize the docents, as most people in groups seem to prefer looking around at their own pace. There is a brochure available that explains all of the exhibits. The bus departs at 4:30 PM to return to the hotel about 5:00 PM.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel

Evening: Special presentation from 7:00-8:00 PM by Ronald Roybal, an award-winning Native American flutist, guitarist, and singer. He'll tell you about his background, his music (he's a composer as well as an historian of Native American music) and his life as a musician.

Note: Walking up to a mile over paved and packed dirt terrain; standing up to an hour in museums

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel from 7:00 to 8:00 AM.

Pick up boxed lunches in lobby before departing for Taos.

Morning: The bus departs at 8:30 AM for an all-day field trip to Taos. Since you won't be able to visit Taos Pueblo due to its winter closure, you will visit San Ildefonso Pueblo. The San Ildefonso people are Tewa speakers, and have lived in the present site since before AD 1300. San Ildefonso is among the best know New Mexico Pueblos because of their renowned black-on-black pottery with black matte designs, which was revived and refined by the late Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian. Today, the Pueblo is a flourishing art community of about 1,500 residents. The bus continues on to Taos following the Pueblo visit.

Visits in Taos this morning include San Francisco de Asis mission church and the Martinez Hacienda.

Lunch: Boxed lunch from hotel can be eaten on the bus or on Taos Plaza.

Afternoon: After lunch, you'll visit the Ernest Blumenschein Home, followed by visits to the Millicent Rogers Museum and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

Arrive back in Santa Fe at about 6:15 PM.

Dinner: Dinner in the hotel dining area at 6:30 PM, followed by closing comments

Depart From: Independent departures from the hotel. Checkout time is by 11:00 AM.

Breakfast: Breakfast is served buffet style in hotel dining room from 7:00 AM until 9:00 AM; you may depart at any time in the morning.

Check-out time from the hotel is 12:00 PM.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities

Santa Fe, NM

General OverviewMuseums and galleries, e.g., Palace of the Governors Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Art and Culture, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Spanish Colonial Museum, Laboratory of Anthropology, Rancho de los Golondrinas (recreation of a Spanish Colonial village), Gerald Peters Gallery, Nedra Matteucchi (Fenn) Gallery, Alan Houser Sculpture Garden, Houshang's Gallery, Alene Lapides Gallery, Laurel Seth Gallery and many more. Historic buildings and churches include Sena Plaza, El Santuario de Guadalupe, the Oldest House, San Miguel Mission, St. Francis Cathedral, the Chapel of Loretto (with its miraculous staircase!) and Cristo Rey Church. During late June, July and August, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Santa Fe Opera are in full swing and there are many theatre productions and concerts going on in the city year round. The Santa Fe Visitors' Guide provides seasonal listings of events, as does New Mexico Magazine. A link to Santa Fe's calendar of events, web sites and telephone numbers is listed below.For additional information, visit: www.santafe.org

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!